


Mirror

by machtaholic (cinderella81)



Category: Leverage
Genre: Character Study, Established Relationship, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-23 12:56:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7464105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinderella81/pseuds/machtaholic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's not who he was when he was younger, but he's not who he was four years ago.  He's somewhere in between.  A bit of an Eliot Spencer character study.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mirror

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thatotherperv](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatotherperv/gifts).



There’s a picture that travels with him wherever he goes. From the time he’s nineteen, it’s never far away; whether it’s tucked in a book, his back pocket or the inside pocket of whatever coat he’s wearing, it’s always there.

He doesn’t show it to anybody, it’s not their business. 

It’s a reminder, of who he was. 

Of who he’s still trying to find.

It really started off as camouflage, a way to blend in. But, it turned into a way to differentiate himself from the bright eyed kid he used to be.

He wasn’t that kid anymore.

But then, a thief, a hacker, a grifter, and a mastermind came into his life. And gave him something he didn’t realize he’d been missing.

Family.

It wasn’t always perfect, but what family was?

Little by little, he started to find himself again, started to see maybe a small glimmer of who he once was. Four and a half years into whatever their situation was, he’d felt more like himself than had in a long time.

He didn’t know where the impulse had come from and what possessed him to do it, but random Saturday between jobs found himself in Sherwood, Oregon (no way he was doing this in Portland) doing something he hadn’t thought about doing in a very long time. It wasn’t like when he was younger, but that would never happen. He’d never be that kid again, but he was closer to himself.

No one said anything about it, not during the next job, not even during the surprise job in Washington, D.C. 

No one said anything until after they’d handled Dr. Udall and dealt with Colonel Vance, after they’d gotten him to a hotel room and into bed, wearing only his boxer briefs. Hacker on one side, thief on the other, he took a few deep breaths and pried his eyes open to find them both looking at him.

“What?” he asked.

“You look different,” Parker said.

Eliot shrugged and winced a bit at the tug in his shoulder.

“It’s cool,” Hardison said nonchalantly.

“Why?” Parker asked.

“Felt like a change,” Eliot replied.

“Liar,” Parker said.

Eliot groaned and motioned for Hardison to pass him his wallet. He rummaged through it and pulled out a battered, faded photograph. He passed it to Hardison, who looked at it for a few minutes before passing it over to Parker.

“That’s you!” Parker said mere seconds later. “Baby you!”

“It was my nineteenth birthday,” Eliot said. “They surprised me with a cake and some cheesy presents.”

“You look really happy, Eliot,” Hardison said.

“I was,” Eliot admitted. “I stopped being him a long time ago.”

“But,” Hardison urged.

“I’m not who I was then, but I’m not who I was four years ago,” Eliot said. “I’m somewhere in between.”

“I like who you are now,” Parker said.

“Me too,” Hardison said. “Now, I snagged us some sweet ass first class flights home tomorrow. We don’t have to get up early but, I for one,would like to get some sleep.”

Eliot chuckled and took the picture from Parker, tucking it back into his wallet before tossing his wallet onto the nightstand. He settled into the mattress and closed his eyes, sighing softly as he felt Parker’s head on his shoulder and Hardison’s hand on his stomach.

Maybe, when he looked in the mirror tomorrow morning, that other Eliot would be a little clearer in the reflection.


End file.
